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<br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />c:_) <br />co <br />C-J <br /> <br />Within a few miles of the project area are some of the <br />potenti a lly most important mi nera 1 resources in the Rocky <br />Mountains. For two of these, oil shale and coal, extensive <br />development seems imminent. The Roan Plateau of the <br />Piceance Creek Basin, location of the world's richest oil <br />shale deposits, lies northwest of the project area. Several <br />companies are now working to develop feasible processes for <br />commercial production from these deposits. Coal has been <br />produced for many years from depos i ts in the Grand Hogback <br />near Silt and Rifle and on the east side of the Huntsman <br />Hills. However, production was reduced after World War II <br />due to preferential use of petroleum fuels. The recent <br />nation-wide trend toward greater use of coal has caused <br />production to increase, and it will probably continue to do <br />so. <br /> <br />Tourism, skiing, and hunting also have added to the economic <br />base. <br /> <br />WATER RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT <br /> <br />The Colorado River is the major source of water in the <br />project area. The average annual flow of the river entering <br />the area was estimated at 2,030,000 acre-feet during the <br />1952-73 period. Numerous tributaries, most of which are <br />intermittent, enter the ri ver from the north and south in <br />the vicinity of the Project area. These streams are fed <br />largely from spring snowmelt, and their flows therefore <br />fluctuate greatly from year to year and from season to <br />season. From east to west, streams flowing to the river <br />from the south include Divide, Dry Hollow, Mamm, Beaver, <br />Porcupine, Cache, Cottonwood, and Battlement Creeks. Divide <br />Creek is formed by East and West Divide Creeks and several <br /> <br />A-7 <br />